Clog the pores: Is it worth avoiding the "comedogenic" ingredients
We study the ingredients and look for "non-comedogenic" labels. or "not clogging the pores" on the labels of cosmetics, hoping that this will give a guarantee of cleanliness of the skin - but in fact with this indicator everything is not so simple. We understand how this criterion works when choosing a product.
Text: Christina Farberova
How comediness came up
Comedogenicity is the potential of cosmetics components to clog pores, cause open and closed comedones (black and white spots on the skin) and, as a result, acne. The key word here is “potential”: even if you find an ingredient on top of one of the innumerable lists, this does not mean that as part of a cream or serum, it will surely clog the pores and fill the face with acne.
How does this happen? The pores are the ducts of the sebaceous glands, and the skin sebum usually clogs them. This is a natural process: fat comes out by itself, or we wash it off when we clean our face and take a shower. But sometimes cosmetic ingredients clog the ducts, and then the fat accumulates in the pores along with the bacteria. Comedones appear on these places. Most often comedones appear in people with oily and acne-prone skin.
The concept of comedogenic cosmetics, or acne-provocative cosmetics, was introduced in 1972 by Dr. Kligman and Mills to find a link between the use of cosmetic ingredients and the formation of comedones. To test the hypothesis, researchers used the Rabbit Ear Model (REM): a cosmetic ingredient was applied to the inner side of the rabbit's ear and the appearance of comedones and follicular keratosis was recorded for several weeks. It turned out that many cosmetic ingredients cause a reaction in animals. According to the results of the study, hundreds of cosmetic ingredients got into the comedogenic series: lanolins, fatty acids, alcohols and sugars, waxes, thickeners, oils, pigments, silicones, sterols, vitamins and herbs, preservatives.
Why lists do not work
Later it turned out that the REM model has many flaws: the skin on the inside of the rabbit ears is much more sensitive than the human one, respectively, it reacts faster to comedogenic ingredients. Today, scientists are reviewing this model and are trying to find the area of human skin that is most suitable for testing products for comedogenicity.
“You can find lists of comedogenic ingredients on the Internet, but there is no single and approved registry,” says cosmetic chemist Victoria Sharapova. “In the same test, an ingredient can show itself as comedogenic and non-comedogenic — it depends on its concentration, method processing and the source from which it was obtained. Some substances more often than others manifest themselves as comedogenic, such as oils and emollients. But products without oils can also be comedogenic. If you are in the comedogenic “risk group”, then Erase the compositions with comedogenicity ratings, allow one or two components from the list and study the reaction of your skin. "
According to Sharapova, comedogenicity ratings and “non-comedogenic” label products cannot be 100% reliable because every person has his own skin sebum composition. It is influenced by gender, age and genetics, as well as skin microbiome. If a person has acne, then the composition of sebum changes: due to the activity of P. acnes bacteria, more free fatty acids appear.
How to choose a suitable product
Thus, the signature "nekomedogenno" when choosing cosmetics should not be guided entirely. First, a single registry of comedogenic ingredients, approved and approved by the FDA or another government organization, simply does not exist. Secondly, the status of the finished cosmetic products is influenced by the concentration of each ingredient in the formula, the source of the raw material and the processing method — variables that cannot be determined simply by reading the label. And thirdly, individual features of human skin play a big role: a product with a proud “non-comedogenic” mark may well clog someone's pores, and coconut oil may cause no problems for someone, although it is considered one of the most comedogenic ingredients. .
Studies show that the use of the final product with comedogenic ingredients in the composition does not always lead to the formation of comedones. A product containing an ingredient from the comedogenic list does not automatically become bad. It may not be the best choice for a person with oily skin or acne, but it is well suited to the owner of dry skin.
The best way to find out whether a product is comedogenic or not is to conduct third-party testing of the complete formula on human skin. And this is also the only way to legally substantiate claims to marketing labels "non-medicinal," "does not clog pores." And at home, you can just make a patch test: before using the tool on a regular basis, try applying it to a specific area only for a few days and watch the skin’s reaction.
Photo: dja65 - stock.adobe.com, laurent dambies - stock.adobe.com
